1. The community (my neighborhood in particular) came together spectacularly to help each other in a time of need.
2. I made new friends when I volunteered to help others and when I gave and got information from others in my neighborhood.
3. Without the flooding, I would NEVER have kitted out in a full body suit, climbed into my crawlspace and cleared out the unwanted items that really needed to be dumped anyway.
4. There is peace of mind in knowing that the emergency systems that Boulder County have in place, really do work. Things like weather alerts via cell phones, reverse 911 calls and evacuation sirens along Boulder Creek were great - and the testament is that we lost few lives.
5. Knowing my house is basically out of reach of a major flood, that the only damage I got was minor wetness in the crawlspace, is comforting... just in case we have another flood.
6. Our public works services and folks were amazing when the need was the highest and the conditions were the most challenging. They worked around the clock and we never lost power, water or internet during the time the County was under State of Emergency.
7. My garden has never looked better. Quite by chance I planted new plants and mulched my front yard and threw down grass seed and fertilizer in the back yard, just a couple of days before the rain began.
8. In an effort to add a "dry creek bed" to my back yard landscaping, I dug a large trench. As it turned out, the trench became a good run-off for the excessive water during the heaviest of the rain. The rest of the yard never puddled and the grading pulled water away from the foundation of my house. This is the first October I have ever mowed my yard and I'm liking it.
9. Infrastructure that was damaged will be rebuilt better than ever!
10. There is nothing like a disaster to remind me of what I have and to be grateful for my good life. Part of that is suddenly wanting to check in with clients/friends, past and present. I have to say, one of the highlights of my "flood week" was all the phone calls and emails that I exchanged with my sphere. I was thrilled that they called me too!
Final thought:
Are you aware of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? (Circa 1943)
It really does a good job of defining what our basic needs and less basic needs are. It helps us recognize what our true priorities are when the rubber hits the road and it reminds those of us that got a bit damp in the "great floods of 2013" that really our basic needs were still being met.
Don't get me wrong... I know some people's physiological needs were not (and are still not) being met. :-(
For help in this regard, you may still find some good information and resources in my post about emergency information during disasters.
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